The Elks National Foundation, established in 1928, helps Elks build stronger communities through programs that support youth, serve veterans, and meet needs in areas where Elks live and work.
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Trip of a Lifetime

My name is Grace Roebuck and I am a freshman at Vassar College. I’m
undecided major wise, but enjoy using art as a medium for social
advocacy in humanitarian crises. I’m currently in the process of
bringing the “Red Sand Project” by Molly Gocham to Vassar, to raise
awareness for human trafficking. My passion for social justice is what
led me to apply for the Winter Elks Scholar Service Trip.

Fourteen
hours there, 14.5 hours back. Living in Rhode Island, my travel should
have been about 12 hours total, but alas the weather had other plans.
That being said, I would do it all over again or even drive to Dallas if
I could relive the trip. This trip was one of the single most
incredible experiences of my life. The connections I made with the
people experiencing poverty and homelessness (our “neighbors”) and the
other volunteers were invaluable.

We are all rich and poor in
different ways. Every person you meet has the ability to teach you
something, and enriches your life if you allow them. Yet, we unfairly
often categorize people by their socioeconomic status, and deem those
of a lesser status as lazy, greedy, or undeserving. From this trip and
the conversations I had, I can safely refute that grossly incorrect
stereotype. When volunteering in the food pantry, I cannot recall one
person who took food from every section. When I asked why they didn’t, I
got answers like “Oh I have some of that left” or “Oh I don’t want to
waste it, someone else can have it.” Not once did I see a glimmer of
greed in someone’s eye, nor a hint of unintelligence in their rhetoric.

At a dinner we hosted for our neighbors, I had the pleasure of meeting
three little children who were AMAZING. Full of life, these children
loved school and fun. They had big dreams and ambitions, and couldn’t
find a school subject they didn’t enjoy. We ended up singing “Twinkle,
Twinkle, Little Star” and dancing in the hallway. As we danced, their
father came out to watch us. Looking a tad tired, the love in his eyes
was clear as he watched his children dance around in pure happiness.
Simultaneously, his eyes carried a look of sorrow, as though he knew
their happiness was fleeting, existing for this moment, but not
guaranteed for many future ones.

As eye opening and
incredible as it was to volunteer, the connections I made with the other
scholars were equally priceless. Following our volunteer work, we
unpacked each day, slowly delving deeper and deeper into privilege,
poverty, and understanding our core self. Yet, these scheduled
conversations only encouraged us to go deeper, even after they
concluded. Late into the night we discussed theology, education and
educational barriers, personal hardships, and passions (typically
academic ones). Because of the conversations we had, and the service we
did, we ended up forming an unbreakable connection, unique to the
incredible group known as #Elksfamily.

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